If you can shoot a 50 BMG, you can shoot any of my wildcats just fine. As mentioned before. the higher muzzle gas volume and pressures make the muzzle brakes work even more effectively then the standard BMG.

H-50BMG will work fine in the Maximum, you will not have 100% load density but it will still work just fine if you pay attention and know how to read chamber pressure signs in a 50 cal weapon which is nothing like a conventional rifle.

US869 may be a better choice as its slower burning then H-50BMG. The best powder will likely be VV 20N29 as it should offer the highest load density and likely best velocity as well and has been proven extremely consistant. Just more expensive then the other powders used.

If your looking to save a buck, surplus powders such as WC872 and WC860 can be made to use perfectly well and they are around 1/3 the price of commerical powder but you have to do your bench work to figure out the burn rate of your lot of powder, thats why they are cheaper, less lab testing has been done to determine exact burn rate on the surplus powders. I would never recommend pulled surplus powder, only new.

You make these big 50s out to be scary monsters, that is not the case at all. My wife shoots my 510 AM as well as I do, your overhyping the recoil produced by these chamberings. I have several 12 guage shotguns that kick MUCH more violently then any of my 510s have. My 458 Lott has MUCH more severe felt recoil with its 500 gr SP loaded to 2350 fps. Its not what your making it out to be in the least.

Sorry, that's not what I was going for. I have shot the M2 when I was in the service. When I had my legs wrapped around the tripod at 200lbs, and it was still lifting me up, makes me think shoulder firing these things would be interesting. I have never fired a 50 cal. rifle before other than the duece. I believe you have tamed the beast. SO you said that pressure signs are different than a normal rifle. How so? What do you look for on the 50 chambering?

If ever given a chance to shoot a 50 in a rifle I wouldn't pass it up. I would be first in line as a matter of fact. Biggest gun I ever fired was a 155mm Howitzer, but it had a pretty good recoil system on it! "ARTILLERY!!!"

Tank

__________________
Matthew 7:13-14
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. [14] But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

I am using H50-BMG. The load I am using is 235 grains with a 750 grain Amax, I have gone up to as much as 140. I think Kirby has gone a little more than that. US869 is another powder that will work, but I have only use H50-BMG.

Kiby explained the recoil very well. Everyone who sees this thing wants to shoot it but they are always afraid of the recoil and think I am tricking them when I say it don't kick much. The first thing they usually say after pulling the trigger is "you were right it don't kick". For the first few shots you will think it don't kick, then you begin to realize just how much it is pushing you around. After about 10 or so rounds my neck usually starts to hurt, kind of like getting whiplash. The thing you have to be aware of is that you have a 50 lb rifle moving back in a big push. If you get the wrong thing in the way, that is a lot of momentum and it will hurt you. I was using a new rear bag yesterday that is taller than my normal bag and it changed my hand position........... and the pistol grip got me.

The other thing everyone does who shoots this thing for the first time ........ they look up and GRIN.

For a standard 50 BMG, to check chamber pressures, you should be able to rechamber a fired case with no real resistance on the bolt handle when closing the bolt on a fired, unsized case.

If you do feel resistance, your loaded to hot.

With the 510 Allen Magnum, its a little harder then just simply rechambering a fired case because the minimum taper design of this wildcat will present some resistance when you close the bolt. I would bet the load that Rick is using in his 510 AM you could rechamber fired cases with very little resistance.

A little resistance on the bolt of the 510 AM is alright but if the bolt is hard to close on a fired case, your over pressured.

At times you may see ejector rings on the case head but generally you do not want to be loaded to that level of pressure. 60,000 psi is about max.

If your seeing your primer pockets loosen, your WAY over pressured.

Case life, never seen one wear out to be honest. You may need to anneal your case necks from time to time to prevent neck splits but other then that, lets just say that with this type of weapon, you likely will never shoot 100 rounds of brass enough to ever wear out the brass or the barrel unless your intentionally trying to do this.